Circle K New Year's Eve Block PartyMill Avenue District, Tempe
After a one-year absence, one of the biggest Auld Lange Syne events in the Valley will make its return to Tempe's main drag to help celebrate the end of 2013 and welcome 2014. The block party will encompass a good portion of Mill Avenue from Third Street to University Drive and feature beer and champagne gardens, live music, video dance clubs, food trucks, interactive games, activities, family fun zones, and — of course — the midnight countdown with fireworks and confetti blasts. 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $25 and admission for children 12 and under is free.

Courtesy of Scottsdale's Ultimate New Years Eve Block Party

Jon Pardi is scheduled to perform during Scottsdale's Ultimate New Years Eve Block Party on Tuesday, December 31, along Craftsman Court in Scottsdale. See www.scottsdalesultimateblockparty.com.

Clint Kirk

The Love Me Nots are scheduled to perform on Tuesday, December 31, at Yucca Tap Room in Tempe. See www.yuccatap.com.

Clarendon Hotel401 W. Clarendon Ave.www.goclarendon.com
Dress to the nines and celebrate the coming of 2014 in dapper fashion during A Modern Gatsby Affair NYE Party, which will feature DJ sessions by Michael Hooker, a performance by CONDER/dance, midnight champagne toast, and more. Cocktail and evening attire recommended. 8 p.m., $25. Call 602-252-736.

FilmBar815 N. 2nd St.www.thefilmbarphx.com
Get some action, don a 'fro and some flares, and rub elbows with wanna-be Dirk Digglers and Roller Girls during the Boogie Ball, a '70s porn star costume party throughout FilmBar. Prizes will be awarded for the best getups, a DJ will spin the super sounds of the '70s while various movie and music clips from the decade are screened and a champagne toast and video ball drops in the theater. 8 p.m., $9. Call 602-595-9187.

Lawn Gnome Publishing905 N. 5th St.www.lawngnomepublishing.com
Torn jeans, Chuck Taylor's and grunge band T-shirts might be the outfit to wear if you're planning to attend the '90s-themed New Year's Eve Flannel Ball and Art Show, which will offer music from Andy Warpigs, Bacchus, Sister Lip, and Wolvves. A slew of local artists will also show off their works, including Sierra Joy, Morgan McNally, Aaron Hopkins-Johnson, Casebeer, J.J. Horner, Brandon Huigens, Tara Logsdon, and others. 8 p.m., $10. Call 602-682-5825.

Scottsdale's Ultimate New Year's Eve Block Party4209 N. Craftsman Court, Scottsdalewww.scottsdalesultimateblockparty.com
Country music star Jon Pardi headlines this year's block party, which also will feature performances by A Boy Named Sioux, Tony Martinez Band, and Laura Walsh, as well as beer vendors, access to Dos Gringos and Rockbar, and fireworks at midnight. Gates open at 6 p.m. Admission is $15-$25.

Talking Stick Resort9800 E. Indian Bend Road, Scottsdalewww.talkingstickresort.com
The resort will boast two different Auld Lang Syne events, each with its own distinct vibe and entertainment. The Salt River Grand Ballroom will host Studio TSR Strikes Back, featuring performances by Loveshack and Buster Poindexter, as well as dancing, party favors, and a balloon drop at midnight. Tickets are $150 per person for a show and dinner, which is served at 6:30 p.m., and $99 per person for the show only, which starts at 8:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Raven's Annual New Year's Eve Gala will take place in the showroom and will feature a complimentary appetizer buffet until 11 p.m., two bars, cocktail and drink specials, a midnight toast, and music from SmashT and DJ Kilo. Semi-formal to black tie attire is required. General admission is $50. Call 866-877-9897.

W Scottsdale Hotel7277 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale
The world's your oyster during the W's One Night In Bangkok New Year's Eve Party, which will include dance music spun by DJ Soulman, specialty cocktails, and fireworks at midnight. 8 p.m.; $75 for ladies, $100 for guys. Various ticket, premium bottle service, and room packages are available. Call 480-970-2100 or see www.wscottsdalehotel.com/newyears for full details.

McFadden's21001 N. Tatum Blvd.www.mcfaddensdesertridge.com9425 W. Coyotes Blvd., Glendalewww.mcfaddensglendale.com
Both locations will offer New Year's Eve bashes with a variety of DJs, libations, and revelry. McFadden's Glendale will a $40 admission package with five free drinks, $4 drinks from 9 p.m. until midnight, and champagne toast once the ball drops. Table reservations are also $25 per person and include a bottle of bubbly and party favors. Meanwhile, the McFadden's at Desert Ridge Marketplace will feature early-bird dinner specials from 4 to 6 p.m., and a $30 admission package starting at 9 p.m. that includes a free drink, cocktail buffet, midnight champagne toast, and more. Premium admission is also available and includes free cocktails. The parties at both locations begin at 9 p.m. Call 623-872-0022 or 480-502-5480.

Milagro Grill4280 E. Indian School Roadwww.milagrogrillaz.com
Ring in the New Year with a four-course meal and champagne toast, live music, and an optional wine pairing. The restaurant's usual menu also will be available. $55 per person. 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Call 602-773-5844.

In Riveting New Book, the 19th Child of 21 Shares Overcoming A Lifetime of Obstacles to Become the First to Earn a College Degree
"No Love, No Charity: the Success of the 19th Child"
An "at-risk" student is generally described as one who, by virtue of his or her circumstances, is statistically more likely than others to fail academically. The criteria of at-risk status often focus on ethnic minorities, those who are academically disadvantaged, disabled, of low socioeconomic status, and students who experience dysfunction in the family. Students who are labeled "at-risk" face a number of challenges that other students do not. Though an "at-risk" student is not necessarily doomed to be a poor learner, the odds are they will be underachievers for whom higher learning is often not even a feasible concept. Author Paul Lamar Hunter's tragic background clearly painted him "at-risk," yet in his later years he triumphantly overcame the dismal odds against his obtaining a college degree, as he became the first in his family to do so.
NATIONWIDE: Glendale, Arizona resident Paul Lamar Hunter beat the odds against poor kids being less likely to obtain a college education. He's an over comer! The author is excited to announce the debut of his riveting new book "No Love, No Charity: the Success of the 19th Child," a thrilling autobiographical account that describes how he made it, despite overwhelming odds. As the 19th child of twenty-one (all born within 21 years), his troubled life traversed the perils of poverty, neglect, dysfunction, and even deaths. Hunter describes what it was like growing up in the shadows of a famous, yet detached mother whose affections were focused on the homeless shelter that she founded; and not on her children. Though the shelter was supposed to be a haven for the downtrodden, it was actually the breeding ground for dysfunction and despondency.
WHAT THE AUTHOR OVERCAME:
Poverty: "We grew up in a house where there was insufficient food, clothing and money to take care of us all. There were times when my siblings and I not only shared clothes, we also shared toothbrushes. We experienced days when we were required to eat homemade biscuits for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We lived in a two-bedroom house until just before the 14th child was born."
Neglect: "Our mom neglected us while she spent more time at the homeless shelter than at our home. She instructed older siblings to watch the younger ones while she would do the Lord’s will—taking care of the homeless. Her more than frequent absences led to numerous detrimental results for us children, including when my sister Zollena suffered severe burns and my brother Thomas Hunter died in our house fire in 1976."
Familial Dysfunction: "Our mother provided only negative feedback and ridiculed my siblings and me. She didn't allow us to address her as mother or mom; she preferred we call her "E." She did not advocate education for us, and frequently told us that we would never accomplish anything. Our mom was unloving, short-tempered, inattentive, and unnecessarily controlling. Additionally, most of us children experienced some forms of mental, physical and spiritual abuse at the hands of "E." There was no father to take care of us as he died in a car accident in 1978. I was eight-years old."
Despite Hunter's misfortunes, failures, and a lifetime of obstacles, his determined spirit and unshakeable faith lifted him above the fray to become the first in his family to graduate from college. Hunter is proud of his academic accomplishments, but equally as proud of having coached a fifth grade basketball team (The Magic) in a championship game to a comeback win from nine points down. His team took the championship by one point (29-28). Having moved full-speed ahead, Hunter is living proof that neither limits nor lineage determine the quality of one’s life. He commented, "Faith, fortitude and determination enable individuals to turn their setbacks into comebacks.”
The author and his living siblings (10 sisters, eight brothers) range in age from 40 to 61; residing in Moreno Valley, CA, Racine, WI, Memphis, TN. Atlanta, GA, Pittsburgh, PA and St. Paul, MN. Between them, they have 63 children and 55 grandchildren.
"No Love, No Charity: the Success of the 19th Child" by Paul Lamar Hunter
(Life to Legacy, LLC, paperback, 184 pp, ISBN:10-0984797343, ISBN: 13-978-0984797349)
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
This book is a dark revelation about how traumatic growing up can be. Paul’s story reiterates the fact that those of us who have loving parents are truly blessed. … Despite it all, Paul’s story will encourage anyone that he or she can make it despite all the odds. Certainly, it can be done. It should be done. It must be done! Kevin Weslaski, Image Management, LLC
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"A truly compelling and very interesting book. It holds your attention from beginning to end. A must read!" Attorney Thomas W. Durkin
Racine, Wisconsin
email address is Paul@nolovenocharity.com